Ashley Desjardine of London talks about her experiences as a survivor of abuse at the launch of the Shine the Light on Woman Abuse Campaign by the London Abused Women?s Clinic in London?s Victoria Park Wednesday. (MIKE HENSEN, The London Free Press)

Previous charges against a man accused of killing a London woman show an alarming pattern of escalation that underlies the need to take initial assault charges seriously, a women’s advocate says.

Oluwatobi Boyede, 25, is charged with second-degree murder and offering an indignity to a body in the death of Josie Glenn, 26, whose remains were found at a southeast London home last Friday.

Court documents show Boyede was charged in March with sexual assault, choking, forcible confinement and assault in a Feb. 16 incident involving a woman whose identity is protected by a court-ordered publication ban. He faces another assault charge dated Feb. 26, involving another woman.

“It is just textbook escalation,” AnnaLise Trudell, manager of education at Anova, a London agency and shelter supporting abused women, said Wednesday. “Initial charges need to be taken seriously and any emergent patterns need to be seen.

“People often get a sense of confidence when they commit — quote unquote — lesser assaults. There is a pattern of taking it to the next level.”

Trudell’s criticism came on the same day as the launch of the Shine the Light Campaign on Woman Abuse — a London-born initiative to raise awareness of men’s violence against women — where organizers paid tribute to Glenn and other homicide victims at Victoria Park.

Megan Walker, executive director of the London Abused Women’s Centre, said Glenn’s death has similarities to the killing of Cindy Gladue, one of two women being honoured by the agency’s annual month-long campaign.

“We’re shaken to the core by (Glenn’s) murder,” said Walker, who questioned why police didn’t release any information to the public about the previous charges against Boyede.

A police spokesperson couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday.

After his arrest in March, Boyede was kept in custody until his release in May on a recognizance.

Boyede made a total of 15 court appearances, nine while in custody and six while on release.

He was charged in July with failing to comply with one of his bail conditions, namely not being in his home at 252 South Leaksdale Circle after his curfew.

On Sept. 25, he elected to have his case tried by judge and jury. An Ontario Court preliminary hearing on those charges was set for March 5, 2018.

Glenn was last seen in the area of Clarke Road and Culver Drive about 3 a.m. on Oct. 22.

A post at 1:27 a.m. on Oct. 22 on backpage.ca, an online classified site, said Glenn was working at Sweet City massage parlour until 11 a.m.

But she wasn’t at the Clarke Road massage parlour when her boyfriend came to pick her up after her shift.

Police made a public appeal for information on Glenn’s whereabouts the next day.

Three days later, police were called to 252 South Leaksdale Circle, where Glenn’s remains were discovered and Boyede was arrested.

That address is listed as Boyede’s home address on the court information outlining his charges in March.

Meanwhile, city workers on Wednesday continued to drain a nearby stormwater pond while investigators searched the water for evidence in the homicide. No investigators were seen at the house in the Summerside subdivision where Boyede lived. A knock at the door went unanswered.

Glenn’s death — the city’s fourth homicide of the year — has left her family and friends reeling.

“She’s never going to get married, she’s never going to be able to have kids. All those chances have been taken away from her,” friend Roya Rayhani said.

Rayhani, who is in Iran caring for her ailing father, is devastated that she won’t be able to attend Glenn’s funeral.

“I never got my closure. I never got to say goodbye,” she said.

Glenn’s family is organizing her funeral, but no date has been set.

Rayhani described her friend as a beautiful person who always made everyone she encountered feel special.

“She loved everybody for who they are,” Rayhani said. “To me, I thought she had everything.”

With files from Jane Sims and Jennifer Bieman, The London Free Press

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.